Bailey's Big Mistake
by E. Beckham
Summary: Chapters 1-3: Bailey shoplifts (Season 1, episode 14 "Not Fade Away"). Chapters 4-9: Bailey drives drunk and faces the consequences (Season 1, episode 22 "The Ides of March"). Warning: Spankings of teenagers.
1. Chapter 1

"Come on, Bailey," Jill had said. "I want them." She had kissed him and whispered breathily, "I want them." And he was putty in her hands.

But the moment that the undercover officer stopped him from leaving the store with the shoplifted sunglasses, Bailey felt sick. He hated himself for stealing, and now he was going to be in big trouble.

The officer led Bailey back to the Security office. "We can solve this one of two ways," the officer began. "You call your folks and have them come down to get you. Or I call the sheriff's department. Your choice."

"My parents are...gone." Bailey stammered. "My brother is my legal guardian."

"Well, get him on the phone then," said the officer testily.

Bailey took the phone and gulped. This conversation would not be easy. He could imagine how pissed Charlie would be. It frightened him and irritated him at the same time. He dialed and Charlie answered on the third ring.

"Hello?"

"Charlie, it's Bailey. I am at Nordstrom's on 9th. I got caught shoplifting and they need you to come down. Iamsosorry."

"What? Shoplifting? What the Hell, Bailey! God! I'll be there in 40 minutes."

"Okay," Bailey said quietly. "Thank you."

"You won't thank me once I get there," Charlie stated flatly and slammed down the phone.

Bailey looked at the phone in surprise as it went dead. "He said he'll be here in 40 minutes." Then he added stupidly, "…He was pissed."

"Yeah, well, it's not the kinda call a parent…or legal guardian…wants to get, kid. What did you expect?" The officer meant the question rhetorically, but Bailey answered anyway.

"I don't know. I didn't think it would be a big deal to him, or anyone, really."

"Are you kidding? You could face six months in jail or a $1,000 fine! Not to mention, having to pay for the item you took. A conviction would be something you would have to report to every college or job you apply to. Boy, I hope that brother of yours is really pissed, because you just about ruined your future. Now, sit down and shut your trap!"


	2. Chapter 2

Bailey was shaking slightly as Charlie paced angrily around the room. "Look, I'm sorry, man. I know it was stupid."

"Stupid? Stupid doesn't begin to cover it, Bay," roared Charlie. They were waiting for Officer Thurmond to return with information about whether management would be prosecuting Bailey.

"Okay, so I screwed up. What do you think they will do?"

"Well, they could arrest you. In fact, that's probably what they are doing right now. Calling the police. Getting ready to haul you off. And you better believe I am going to let you sit on your ass in jail overnight." After a moment, Charlie added, "Was this her idea?"

Bailey saw red. He hated when Charlie, who had been a chronic troublemaker in school, acted like Jill was a bad influence. Really? Did Charlie forget that he knew about the record-setting-nine-days-in-a-row that his big brother had spent in the principal's office! "No. It wasn't Jill's idea," Bailey spat out.

"You're just into ladies' sunglasses, is that it? Is there something you want to tell me, Bay?" Charlie leaned in menacingly close to his little brother's face.

But before the boy could answer, Officer Thurmond opened the door and said, "Well, you're lucky, son. Management's decided not to press charges."

Bailey stood up and said, "Thank you, sir. Thanks."

"We really appreciate that, Officer Thurmond," Charlie added. "And it won't happen again. I promise. Isn't that right, Bay?"

"Yes. I mean, no, it won't happen again, sir," stated Bailey.

"And we won't see you in Nordstrom again for two years, Bailey. Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir," said both boys.

With that, Charlie took Bailey by the arm and led him to the exit. Charlie half-led, half-dragged his brother to the car. Bailey objected several times, especially after seeing three of his baseball teammates snickering. However, these complaints fell on deaf ears.

Once they were in the truck, Charlie said, "SHOPLIFTING, Bailey? What were you thinking?"

The teenager looked at his feet, but said nothing.

"You're in major trouble, here, Bailey. You better talk to me."

"Why should I explain it to you?" the boy suddenly shouted. "It's nothing you haven't done before… probably! I remember how much trouble you used to get into, Charlie. Where do you get off acting like you're a saint? I heard about those nine days you spent in the principal's office."

"Oh yeah," whispered Charlie dangerously as he grabbed the front of Bailey's jacket and pulled him so that they were nearly touching noses. "So… you remember how Dad reacted to those nine days then?"

Bailey looked blank. He'd only been nine years-old at the time, and no one at home ever talked about Charlie's troublemaking. Bailey had heard those stories through his classmates, especially the ones with older siblings. His brother's feats were something of legend at his high school.

Charlie stared at him, furiously. "Well, when we get home, I'll remind you."


	3. Chapter 3

Once again, Charlie had Bailey by the upper arm, now leading him up the stairs to the bedrooms. When they were inside Bailey's room, Charlie closed the door. The brothers stood facing each other.

"First, when I got in trouble, he grounded me. The next day, when it happened again, he spanked me. The next day, he whipped me. And he whipped me every day after that that I continued getting in trouble. Finally, on that ninth day, he came to school and spanked me in front of Principal Stickley."

Bailey's jaw dropped.

"Wait...what? …Dad whipped you? And he spanked you in front of Stickley?"

Charlie chuckled at Bailey's shock. But he quickly grew serious again, "Yeah, he said he wasn't about to let me throw away my future. He said being cool or being a clown or whatever it was that I was trying to achieve with my stunts, he was going to make sure it was not worth the trouble I'd be in if those stunts continued. Mission accomplished. I didn't spend another day in Stickley's office."

After a moment, he added, "The night before I started 12th grade, Dad pulled me aside and said, 'You remember that last conversation we had in your principal's office?' Yes, sir, I said. 'Well, nothing's changed. What I said still stands. Got it?'"

"What had he said?" questioned Bailey.

"That he'd pull my pants down and spank my backside in front of Stickley or my whole class, possibly, if I got in any more trouble."

"Noooo…." whispered his little brother.

"Yep, so you can imagine how concerned I was when Stickley called me to her office just before I graduated. I was about to cry and thought about just running home. But I was too afraid. When I got there, Stickley just smiled and shook my hand. She told me how proud she was of my transformation and that she had noticed how my grades and attitude had improved. She asked what my secret was."

Charlie chuckled again, remembering. "I told her that Dad had hired a tutor to help me study. And that he'd threatened to give me a bare-behind spanking if I ended up in her office again." Both boys laughed.

Then Charlie was quiet for a bit. "You know, I was never a good student. Sometimes it was easier to get kicked out of class than be asked to read aloud or explain a math problem and possibly look stupid in front of everyone. Dad understood that. But he wasn't going to let me be a delinquent just to get out of class."

"Bailey, I know you want to impress that girl—" Bailey shot him a hard look. "Okay, Jill," Charlie corrected. "I know you want to impress Jill, but this is not the way. Dad knew it. I know it. And you know it."

Bailey nodded. "So... I am just grounded this time?"

"Yeah, I guess so."

"How long?"

"Until you've worked enough to pay back the cost of the sunglasses."

"Okay. That's fair," Bailey said, relieved. "Man, I was afraid you were going to spank me, Charlie."

"So was I, Bailey. I can't even imagine. The thought makes me want to throw up and…." Charlie broke off and sat down abruptly on the bed. He was suddenly overcome with grief. How could he be the one in this role? Why was his father not here to handle this situation? It was so unfair. Charlie buried his head in his hands and cried. Bailey immediately hugged him, crying too.

"I love you, Charlie. I am so sorry for causing trouble."

"I love you too, Bay. It's all gonna be okay."


	4. Chapter 4

Three days after his girlfriend's untimely and unexpected death due to a drug overdose, Bailey Salinger stood at a bar, ready to order his first drink. "Excuse me," Bailey called. "Can I get a couple drafts, please?" The teenager turned from the bartender to his disapproving best friend, Will.

"See? What'd I tell you? Piece of cake." Bailey scanned the club, already looking restless. As soon as he had a drink in his hand, he started flirting with a group of girls. Will left his untouched beer on the bar. He sighed, knowing it was going to be a long night.

Several hours later, Bailey stumbled out of the club. Will was a few steps behind him and said, "So why'd you tell that girl you'd call her, huh?"

"I might call her. I will...call her. I liked her. She was nice and she was cute too. Didn't you think she was cute?"

Bailey stopped to look at his best friend. Will ignored the question and asked his own, "So this is how it's gonna be? You're gonna go on, like nothing happened? Clubbing? Hitting on girls?" He knew Bailey would rather pretend that his girlfriend's death from an accidentally cocaine overdose was no big deal. But it was clear his friend was hurting.

Bailey dropped his keys, stooped, and drunkenly fumbled with them on the ground. "What are you doing?" asked Will. "Give me the keys, Bay."

"Why?" Bailey asked, scowling.

"Why? Because you're drunk, that's why. I'm driving."

"I am not drunk. Hey! …I am not drunk!"

"Fine. Fine!" Will exclaimed, annoyed. "You're not drunk. You're not sad. You're not angry. You're not anything. And you're not getting behind the wheel."

Bailey turned to get in the car, but Will grabbed his shoulder and turned his friend towards him. For a moment, the two boys faced off. Then Bailey threw the keys in the air, and Will easily snatched them away.

"Give me the keys, Will. …Will. Give me the keys!" The boys wrestled to the ground, where Bailey suddenly punched Will in the eye. He then picked up the dropped keys, got in the car, and drove away.

Will called after him, "Bailey! Bailey!" But there was no response.


	5. Chapter 5

No sooner had Bailey crept into the house, then he felt Charlie's strong hands grab him and throw him up against the wall.

"Bailey, what the Hell do you think you're doing?"

"What?" protested Bailey.

"Driving drunk? God!"

Bailey tried to get away from Charlie as he yelled, "What? I am not…." However, he stopped struggling when he saw a dejected Will standing in the living room, his left eye black. "What'd you tattle on me, man?"

"You stupid, stupid, son of a bitch! What were you thinking about?" Charlie bellowed. Bailey winced, but looked up into his older brother's red face and saw the tears and pain he had caused. "Like every day in this house does not say to you, 'You do not drink and then get behind the wheel.'"

"Okay," Bailey said remorsefully.

"Like you need to be told!" Charlie slammed Bailey against the wall again and then released him.

"Okay! Fine. You made your point." Bailey turned to Will and seethed, "Thanks a lot."

"Bay, come on! I was worried. Look, I know this is hard. I know you're going through some stuff, but you don't have to do it alone." Will followed Bailey as he stormed away, "So you are just going to shut everyone out?"

"Yeah, I just might."

"Why? I don't get it," Will persisted.

But Charlie pushed around him, "I'll tell you this, Bailey. I am not going let you self-destruct. I am not going to let you kill yourself."

Bailey grinned, looking up at his brother. "That's funny. That… that is hysterical. You know why? Because I said the same thing. The exact same thing. You know what? You can say it. And you can mean it, but the truth is there is nothing, _nothing_ that you can do about it."

"Not true, Bailey. I know exactly what I am going to do about it," roared Charlie, as he stormed up the stairs after his little brother. Over his shoulder, he called, "Thank you, Will, but go home now. I'll take care of Bailey."


	6. Chapter 6

Bailey's head was spinning and beginning to throb. Something darker seemed to be tugging at him. Jill's face, their last conversation, Will's black eye, Charlie's tears and then his fury. He crawled on to the bed, trying not to shake or throw up.

Just as he managed to pull his blanket up around him, Charlie burst through the door without knocking. The door ricocheted off the wall and slammed shut.

"Bailey, you selfish brat! Get up now!" Charlie stood waiting next to the bed with his hands on his hips. "Three…. Two…. On—"

"Charlie, please," Bailey begged softly. "I feel really sick now. If I move, I'm going to throw up." No sooner had he spoken the words then waves of nausea wracked his body. Vomit splattered on the floor and Charlie jumped out of the way. He grabbed a small trashcan and shoved it to Bailey, who continued to throw up.

Charlie sighed, "Come on, Bay. Let's get you cleaned up. I'm going to draw you a bath, and I'll clean this mess up." He guided his little brother into the bathroom, turned on the water, and set another trashcan by the tub.

"Throw your clothes by the door and I'll come get them. I'll bring some new ones and change your bed. Just rest for a bit, okay?"

"Okay," whispered a pitiful Bailey. The warm tub helped his muscles relax. Although he threw up two more times, he was starting to feel better.

Fifteen minutes later, Charlie knocked on the door. "Your room is ready. Want to get out now?" Bailey nodded, so Charlie handed him a towel and moved his clean clothes within reach. Then he turned away to give Bailey privacy as he dressed.

"Ready," said the teenager, wearing only pajama bottoms.

"Take these," Charlie held out three Ibuprofens and a bottle of water. Then he stepped out of the way and Bailey slowly shuffled back to his bedroom. The bed was turned down, and after Bailey slipped between the sheets, Charlie tucked the blankets around him.

Bailey grabbed his big brother's hand before he turned to go. "Charlie, will you stay with me?" Tears were already sliding down the boy's face.

"Of course. Bay, you will feel better after you sleep. So, please, just rest."

Charlie grabbed a book off of a shelf and crawled into bed next to his brother. After ten minutes, Charlie noticed that Bailey's breathing had slowed and that his body had relaxed. Soon the book tumbled from his hands as he, too, drifted off to sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

Charlie woke with a start. Wrong room. Bailey's soft snores. Then he remembered: Will came the house to report that Bailey had spent the evening drinking at a bar, had fought Will when he tried to stop him driving drunk, and had driven drunk.

The 24-year-old groaned aloud, feeling somewhat hungover himself. His anger had made him ready to deal with his younger brother the night before. But now he would have to brace himself for what needed to be done.

It was 6:22 am. The house was quiet. Charlie moved from room to room, looking in on his siblings. Claudia's hand rested on her violin case, while Julia was cocooned tightly in her blankets. To Charlie's great relief, Owen only wiggled but did not wake up when the door opened.

Charlie made his way downstairs and brewed a pot of coffee. He then loaded the clothes dryer with Bailey's sheets and clothes. By the time he'd had his first cup of coffee, he could hear someone moving around upstairs.

Kirsten entered the kitchen and greeted Charlie with a kiss and a warm "Good morning!" She poured herself a cup of coffee, and said, "I found you sleeping in Bailey's room last night. Is everything okay?"

"Definitely not. I didn't want to wake you since you'd been feeling so badly all day, but last night was rough."

"What? What happened?" Kirsten asked, looking worried.

"Will came over to tell me that he and Bailey had gone to a club. Bailey'd gotten drunk. When Will tried to stop him from driving, Bailey clocked him, took the keys, and drove off."

"Oh my God! Is he okay?"

Charlie sighed, "Will has a nasty black eye, and Bailey, of course, was pretty sick. Threw up everywhere."

"But the important thing is that he is safe."

"Sure. …For now."

"What are you going to do about it, Charlie? This is really serious."

"I know it!" Charlie exclaimed. "My dad would have beaten my ass. Hell, I've never even driven drunk. I get that he's upset about Jill, but that's no excuse. After all we've been through…. That selfish bastard."

Kirsten jumped as Charlie slammed down he coffee mug.

"Whoa, what's with you? Who's a bastard?" Julia said, as she hurried into the kitchen fully dressed.

"Sorry…. Morning, Jules. Why are you dressed already?" Charlie questioned.

"I'm going to some classical music festival at the Legion of Honor."

"By yourself?"

"No, Claudia is going too. It was her idea, actually. I want to see Avery Baltus. Ever heard of him?"

"No, should I have?" Charlie said, looking at her strangely.

"Probably not." Julia walked to the staircase and called up, "Hurry up, Claudia!"

"Geez, Julia! You're going to wake Owen!" Charlie snapped.

"He's up already. I can hear him playing in his crib." After a long stern look from her big brother, she added, "I'll go change him and bring him down."

"Thank you."

Moments later, Claudia rushed in and grabbed a banana. With a big bite in her mouth, she said, "Dudzheleebyet?"

"What on Earth did you say? No, no, no. Chew and swallow first," Kirsten said smiling.

"I said, 'Did she leave yet?'"

"No, Julia's upstairs getting Owen. Are you excited about this music festival?"

"Yes, Ross is playing. It's gonna be great! And Julia said she'd take me to lunch at that place mom used to take us to."

Charlie nodded and rubbed his stomach. "Burma Superstar. Such good food!"

"Jealous!" Kirsten blurted out. "I love the Tea Leaf Salad."

"Yeah," said Claudia skeptically, "I'll probably just get the noodle stuff I like." Then, without warning, she hollered, "Julia! Come o—"

"Claudia!" Charlie and Kirsten said at once.

"I'm here, Claud. Chill out!" Julia walked in and handed Owen to Kirsten. "Ok, let's go."

"Breakfast?" asked Charlie.

"We'll get something on the way. Bye, Charlie! Bye, Kirsten," called the teenager as she headed out the door with Claudia on her heels.

"Have fun!" called Kirsten.

"Well. That solves one problem," declared Charlie.

Kirsten raised her eyebrows in wonder and waited.

"I didn't want the girls around when I punish Bailey. Too awkward to think about."

"How so?"

"He's getting a damn good hiding. But I'm not trying to humiliate him."

Kirsten gaped at her boyfriend. She'd heard his stories of well-earned spankings from his father, but she'd never imagined Charlie as the spanking-type of parent. Of course, if anyone had ever deserved spanking, it was Bailey.

She nodded sharply. "Okay. I understand. You do what you have to do. After I feed Owen and get dressed, he and I will get out of your hair too."

"Please don't rush," whined Charlie. "I'm in no hurry…believe me."

Kirsten chuckled and kissed his cheek. "I'm sure you're not, but that's your job now."

"I just never thought I'd have to. They're all such good kids. I thought I got all the bad genes in the family."

Kirsten giggled again and said, "Here, you feed Owen and I'll feed us. Scrambled eggs and bacon sound good?"

"Yes, thank you! Way better than this baby cereal looks!"

After breakfast was served, they sat and chatted while Owen played with some pans on the floor. Soon an upstairs shower could be heard running.

"Well, that's my cue," said Kirsten briskly. She picked up Owen, then her purse and his diaper bag, and bent down to give Charlie another kiss. "Good luck!"

"Ugh" was Charlie's only response.


	8. Chapter 8

To his surprise, Bailey did not feel as terrible as he thought he would when he woke up. Apart from his nearly unquenchable thirst, a vague headache, and general grogginess, the teen felt almost normal. As he got out of the shower and dried off, he wondered if anyone was home. It was too quiet…. Maybe he could be lazy all day. Nothing sounded better, especially since he had no desire to see Charlie any time soon.

Yet, when he walked into his bedroom, he found his big brother sitting on his bed. Both boys looked at each other uncomfortably. Bailey shifted from foot to foot, wishing desperately that he had put on clothes in the bathroom instead of having only a towel wrapped around his waist.

"Look, Charlie…. I know we have a lot to discuss. Just let me get dressed an—"

"Actually, we don't."

"What?" Bailey asked, confused.

"We have very little to discuss," stated Charlie, calmly. "Your actions last night go beyond unacceptable. They were _incomprehensible_!" As his voice began to escalate, Charlie stood and walked over to his cowering brother. "After all we have been through…. After all the pain you, Julia, Claudia, Owen and I have had, how could you risk driving drunk?" Charlie jabbed his index finger into Bailey's chest. "How do you justify yourself?"

Dumbfounded, Bailey stared at his feet and said nothing.

Charlie walked to Bailey's closet and opened it. At first, the teen thought his brother was about to offer him clothing; however, when Charlie pulled out a black belt, Bailey felt hot, lightheaded and absurdly like laughing.

"Charlie?" he stammered.

"WHAT?" Charlie bellowed. "Are you going to try and tell me that you don't deserve punishment? How would you feel if it had been Julia or me driving drunk and risking our lives and other people's lives? You'd want to rip us apart! Well, little brother, I may not know much about parenting, but I know that Dad would have given you a good whipping! So that's what I am going to do. Now."

Charlie grabbed Bailey's left arm and pulled him toward the bed. It did not occur to the teen to disobey. He knew Charlie was right. Although his face burned and his body slightly trembled, Bailey believed his disappointed parents were watching from Heaven and he wanted to cry.

As he leaned over the edge of the bed, he felt Charlie tug the towel from around his waist and push him down on the bed.

"Please, Charlie! No!"

But his older brother said nothing. Charlie didn't know if he'd be able to follow through. He brought the belt down across the pale bottom and immediately wanted to throw up. Was that too hard? Bailey had cried out, but that was probably due to shock.

The belt fell a second time and Bailey sniffled, already crying. Charlie gritted his teeth. The third and fourth smacks landed.

Charlie's mind raced. He tried to remember how many licks his father gave him. Ten? The same as his age?

Bailey looked over his shoulder. Was Charlie done? The belt's slap and subsequent pain answered his question. He bit his lip and tried not to cry out. The belt smacked again and again and again.

"Please, Charlie! I am sorry! No more! I promise I'll never get drunk again!"

"Two more," declared Charlie, tiredly.

After the ninth whack met its pinkish target, Bailey began wiggling evasively.

The last spank was the worst. His little brother cried out and Charlie forced himself not to flee the room. Be firm but comforting, he told himself. Be like Dad.


	9. Chapter 9

Charlie put the belt on the dresser, opened a drawer, and tossed some sweatpants and a t-shirt to Bailey.

"Tell me when you're dressed," Charlie said simply.

After a bit of rustling and a slight groan, he heard, "Okay. Ready."

When he turned back around, Charlie saw his little brother sitting on his bed, shoulders slumped, head down and occasionally wiping away tears. Every instinct within him was screaming to bolt, but he repeated internally, "Be like Dad. Be like Dad."

Slowly, he moved to bed and sat down next to Bailey. He reached over and gently pulled his brother into a hug. Relief overwhelmed him when Bailey did not resist and even hugged Charlie back.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," cried Bailey. Charlie hugged him closer and whispered, "I know, I know" as soothingly as possible.

"Do you think they're watching?" Bailey asked, barely able to get the words out.

Shocked, Charlie felt tears running down his face too. "Yes," he whispered, "but they understand, Bailey. They have complete understanding and love now. They're not mad."

The boys clung to each other as a wave of grief swept over them. Finally the tears subsided.

"Are you okay, Bay?"

The teenager let go of his brother and chuckled, "You mean apart from never being able sit again?"

"You're sitting now, aren't you?" Charlie teased. "Let's get some breakfast in you. Scrambled eggs and bacon, or maybe some of that delicious cereal of Owen's."

Bailey made a disgusted face, but laughed.

"Eggs and bacon then."

As Charlie made the breakfast, Bailey leaned on the bar, choosing not to sit. They chatted about sports in general, an upcoming baseball tournament of Bailey's, and who made the best rigatoni—Baiano's or Carlin's.

"You're crazy! Carlin's, hands down!" Bailey laughed.

"To each his own. All I know is at Baiano's I can get my weight in rigatoni. For like $10!" Charlie handed his little brother a plate loaded with eggs, bacon, and buttered toast.

"Yum! Thanks, Char."

After several bites and relaxed silence, Bailey said, somewhat awkwardly, "So… you never…."

"Never drove drunk? No. But I did other equally stupid stuff," Charlie said somberly.

"Like what?"

"Umm, sneaking out. Only to find Dad in my bed when I snuck back in."

Bailey made a face and laughed.

"When I was 11, I had a bonfire with some friends in the backyard and ended up burning most of the yard. That could have been way worse."

"Oh, I think I remember that! All those fire trucks in front of the house!"

"Do you remember Dad spanking me in front of everyone?"

"No, not really. Sounds harsh."

"Maybe," said Charlie, "But it was hardly the worst."

Bailey looked at his brother expectantly and waited.

"Okay, but don't forget to eat. I know you hate cold eggs, and I don't want to have to make more." Charlie smiled.

"The worst punishment I ever got from Mom or Dad was just after Owen was born."

Bailey spit out his eggs. "What?" he coughed. "Last year!"

"Gross, Bailey! …Yeah," grimaced his brother. "Mom was performing in Chicago—her first job away since Owen—and Dad asked me to watch O while he was at work."

Charlie stopped talking, obviously having a hard time remembering. "Well, O was boring and slept most of the time, so I decided to waste a few hours smoking pot. I lost track of time…. Dad came home to find Owen screaming and me in the basement zoned out. I didn't even have the baby monitor turned on."

Bailey could imagine his father's fury. He shuddered.

"He grabbed me by the ear and yanked me up the stairs. I had an urge to fight him off, but I saw he was carrying Owen."

Charlie turned away and started washing dishes. Bailey wolfed down the rest of his food and went to his brother's side.

"He made me sit on the couch while he fed Owen, then bathed and changed him, and rocked him to sleep. As he rocked him, Dad questioned me, 'How long have you been smoking pot? Have you ever smoked in this house before? Do the other kids know you smoke?' I answered like a million questions like that."

Charlie looked at Bailey and said in an amazed tone, "Now that I think about it, that scene is almost funny. Dad was pissed, of course, but all his questions were asked in this gentle, soothing manner so he didn't wake Owen."

The twenty-four-year-old continued, "Anyway, he finally went to put Owen down and I thought about running. But I just stayed. Dad had his belt off before he even got back downstairs."

As he put away the dried dishes, Charlie stopped talking again. Bailey waited patiently, not knowing if the story was over.

"He'd never whipped me like that before…."

"What do you mean? Pants down and everything?"

"No—that'd he done several times before. I mean in anger. It was awful."

Suddenly, Bailey was annoyed. "Yeah, well, you deserved it," he said certainly.

Charlie glanced at his brother. "I know," he said quietly. "I wasn't defending myself."

"And I did too, Charlie. I know I was wrong. And it'll never happen again."

"I'm so glad to hear you say that."

"And what happened when Mom got home?" Bailey said suddenly.

"You mean from Chicago? That was just as bad. Dad went to pick her up from the airport. Before he left, he told me to stay in my old room until they got back. I could hear all of you greeting her at the door. Her laughing and everyone talking at once. Later, she came up to my room. No knock, just came in quietly. I stood when the door opened and she walked over to me with this intense look on her face. She slapped me—twice."

Bailey gasped.

"I actually begged her to spank me or whip me or something. So she could forgive me and I could forgive myself. But she refused. She said she did not agree with Dad's actions, though she understood his reaction. She told me that she loved me, but she did not always like my choices. I'd have to earn her trust back over time."

Charlie looked so sad that Bailey patted his back. Finally, he continued, "I'd rather have had a spanking. But I tried harder to earn her trust back because she didn't let me off the hook quickly."

Bailey smiled and Charlie cocked his head questioningly. "What?"

"Um, maybe it's just the timing, but I really think you must've forgotten how bad it feels." Charlie grinned.

"You'll survive, Bay. In a day or so, you'll feel fine. Until then…stay out of trouble."

"Ok. Will do. …Hey, where is everybody?"

"Jules and Claud went to a classical music festival. And Kirsten and Owen went to the store, I think. And I have to finish sanding that sleigh bed for Bruce Curran."

"Do you want any help?"

"Sure, Bay, that would be great. Thanks!"


End file.
